Question

The primary difference between the gender roles and the gender structure approaches to examining gender in society is that _________.

A) Gender roles emphasize biology and genetics, while gender structure focuses on societal expectations and behaviors.
B) Gender roles focus on individual preferences, while gender structure focuses on societal norms and power dynamics.
C) Gender roles emphasize individual freedom, while gender structure emphasizes conformity to societal expectations.
D) Gender roles emphasize cultural diversity, while gender structure emphasizes universal traits of gender identity.

Answer 1

The primary difference is that gender roles focus on societal expectations for individuals, while gender structure looks at how these expectations are embedded within and perpetuated by societal norms and power dynamics.

Step-by-step explanation:

The primary difference between the gender roles and the gender structure approaches to examining gender in society is that gender roles focus on the expectations for individuals to behave in certain ways based on their sex, while gender structure considers the systemic and institutional aspects of gender that govern these roles and the power dynamics involved. Gender roles are based on societal norms or standards that dictate masculine and feminine behaviors, and they start being learned from birth via socialization. On the other hand, gender structure looks into how society's overall system defines several activities and behaviors within different categories, often establishing a system of power and stratification between them.

Option B in the question seems to align best with the definitions above: B) Gender roles focus on individual preferences, while gender structure focuses on societal norms and power dynamics. This option closely reflects the notion that gender roles are about the individual enactment of cultural expectations, while gender structure delves into how society as a whole dictates these roles through power relations and social systems.